Tourism

Lisburn City Council continues to support and promote tourism development in the City of Lisburn. Since becoming the second largest City in Northern Ireland, visitors are enjoying the delights of the City of Lisburn and the surrounding areas.

In August 2002, the Council launched the new stand alone Lisburn Tourist Information Centre within the impressive surroundings of Lisburn Square. Many locals and visitors have learnt about attractions and activities within the City of Lisburn through the new Tourist Information Centre. The increased retail capacity has been a resounding success with souvenirs and gifts now available, along with all the services offered in the past including Accommodation booking, Bureau de Change, free local and national information, maps and guides, and tickets for local events.
Launching the new Lisburn Tourist Information Centre in Lisburn Square is Councillor Betty Campbell, (then Mayor of Lisburn) with the assistance of Sir Reg Empey, Minister for Trade, Investment and Enterprise, and Councillor Bill Gardiner-Watson (Chairman of the Economic Development Committee). Also on hand were Tourist Information Centre Advisors, Caroline France, Linda Murray, Richard Nelson, and Supervisor Veronica Morris.
The Council is also part of a pilot scheme for the development of a fully integrated visitor signage plan scheme. Work was undertaken in consultation with Northern Ireland Tourist Board and DRD (Roads Service) to review current levels and the need for further signage to ease the path for visitors to tourist locations. The policy is due for further consultation and feedback before implementation in preparation for the start of the 2004 tourism season.

The vision for hotel development within the City Centre gained further definition with a research and consultation exercise involving BDP Planning Consultants and ASM Howarth now underway. The shortlist of identified potential sites has been drawn up with a feasibility study now being developed.

Lisburn City Council has also been active in the Kingdoms of Down marketing consortium, working alongside neighbouring Councils to jointly promote the wider-area as a visitor destination to international markets. The campaign has been tailored to meet the needs of Lisburn’s growing tourism and hospitality industry.

As in previous years, Lisburn City Council has benefited from a presence in over 20 trade and consumer exhibitions throughout the world by virtue of membership of the Kingdoms of Down including Toronto, Milwaukee, Detroit, Boston and Vancouver, as well as closer to home at Dublin, Manchester, London and Glasgow. During the year the Kingdoms of Down has brought a significant number of familiarisation trips of tour operators and journalists into the area, including national/international travel trade buyers and journalists visiting the City.

The Council again provided customer care training in partnership with Lisburn Institute through the Welcome Host and Welcome All training courses. Training continues to be an area that is supported by the Council including marketing workshops targeting small business owners.

The City is also famed for its quality events including the high-profile N.I. Festival of Racing and the extremely successful Hillsborough International Oyster Festival. Other events hosted throughout the year included the Irish National Swimming Championships at the Lagan Valley LeisurePlex, Ulster Grand Prix and European Beer Festival at Hilden Brewery.

As well as these major events the Council has supported a number of other smaller but equally successful events including the Harry Ferguson Homestead Working Day, Dog Championship Obedience Show, Vintage Motorcycle Rally and NI Vintage Ploughing Championships all of which attract a significant number of visitors to the City.

Plans for 2003-2004 include the launch of the much requested Lisburn Street Map and Gazetteer and to introduce a new major event, the National Countrysports Fair to be hosted by the Council in the grounds of Moira Demesne. A new Tourism Development Strategy is also being developed for 2003-2005.
1. Lisburn continues to prosper as a shopping haven with visitors exploring the many shops in the City Centre.

2. Norman Davidson, Chief Executive of Lisburn City Council meeting the President of Ireland, Mrs Mary McAleese whilst in Dublin for the Holiday World Exhibition. Also in attendance were Councillor Betty Campbell, (then Mayor of Lisburn) and members of the Economic Development Committee.

3. Visitors receiving a warm welcome in the new Lisburn Tourist Information Centre. Staff are on hand to advise and assist with accommodation bookings, Bureau de Change, free local and national literature, gifts, souvenirs and maps.

4. Popular shopping destination, Lisburn Square where the new Lisburn Tourist Information Centre provides services for locals and visitors alike. The Lisburn Tourist Information Centre is one of 28 province wide networked Tourist Information Centres.

5. Winner of the 2002 International World Oyster Eating Championship, held in Hillsborough in August, 2002 is Gary King from Lisburn. 2002 was another successful year for the event which saw over 7,000 people in the streets during the festival.

6. The crowds enjoy a great day out at Down Royal Race Course during the annual NI Festival of Racing.